Love & Death
by AnotherGirlWithAStory
Summary: Daniel moved the card between his fingers. The words were right there on the tip of his tongue. He couldn't lie to Jack. He could lie to everyone else, consequences be damned, but not Jack. LoversDeath.
1. Love & Death

**Title** : Love & Death

 **Pairing** : Daniel x Jack

 **Word Count** : 1, 590

 **AN** : This is my first time writing for these two so please be kind. There will likely be more in the future.

* * *

J. Daniel Atlas: _control freak and master of illusions._ Both traits often ended up getting him into trouble. The first time that he met the other three Horsemen Danny had looked handsome as always. His hair looked exactly the way he wanted it to and he had – as per usual – opted for jeans and a shirt with long sleeves. He was in total control of himself. _Thank god_. And he managed to stay in control the entire time regardless of Henley and Merritt mocking him and then _that card_. Somehow Daniel managed to not laugh out loud at the sight of his card: the lovers. _Oh, the irony_. His faith in the person that brought them together was somewhat questioned when he received his card. Death would have been much more logical but that ended up in the hands of Jack Wilder. _That was highly illogical._ Jack Wilder looked as if death was a foreign concept to him. It suited Daniel much better. God knows he'd found himself dangling scarily close to that edge a few times before. And if he ever forgot the scars on his forearms reminded him. None of the other Horsemen knew. Daniel liked it that way.

Henley would probably never let him out of her sight if she did. And Daniel would feel suffocated by her constant need to make sure that he was okay.

Merritt would make a joke out of it. Or not really a joke. But whatever he was going to do would fail. He would use his _power_ or attempt to do so and Daniel would get angry and leave.

Then there was Jack. Daniel imagined him standing there completely shocked and speechless. But he could never guess what Jack would do when he regained composure. Assuming, he regained composure at all. Daniel could guess the reactions of everyone else but when it came to Jack his otherwise so quick moving brain came to a sudden halt. It was sad really. Because Jack was the only persons whose reaction intrigued Daniel. He didn't want to tell the young man about the scars but he wanted to see his reaction. There was _a lot_ of things he didn't want to tell Jack but desperately wanted to see his reactions.

Jack was different. He was different in the way that he listened and he understood what Daniel was trying to say. When all everyone else heard were rude comments he heard the message underneath it. Everyone else gave him crap for being a control freak but Jack never did. He answered every question Daniel asked him before a show and never deviated from the written script during the performance.

Daniel didn't just like Jack like a friend. There was something more. Because whenever Jack asked him something Daniel told the truth even if he didn't want to. There was something in the way that Jack looked at him that raised his pulse – in a good way – and had him spilling all his secrets. Which was something not even educated psychologists had managed to despite years of therapy. Involuntary therapy naturally, because Daniel didn't believe in the power of _talking_.

Daniel glared at the card. He flicked it between his fingers not as quickly or as smoothly as Jack but it was impressive never the less. The first few times he looked at the card but after a while he closed his eyes. His eyesight more often than not fooled him. It interpreted things for him and filtered out things. It did him so many disfavors that he sometimes preferred closing them.

He heard the sound of the door being opened and closed but still didn't bother opening his eyes. It was either Henley, Merritt or Jack. No one else had the key.

Jack closed the door behind him. The card easily danced between Daniels smooth fingers. Ever since he had met Jack a few months earlier he had been practicing every moment he could. Henley and Merritt thought that he only did it to annoy Jack; the young man himself didn't know what to believe. Eventually Jack moved across the room and sat down on the opposite side of Daniel.

"Looking good, man." He eventually said and smiled.

Daniel knew that Jack was smiling before even opening his eyes. He even knew exactly what the smile looked like. It was a big smile that showed two lines of teeth but not big enough to make him look overly excited. One side of the mouth was raised a tiny bit higher than the other and the smile reached his eyes. It was the last part that made Jacks smile deadly. If the sight of his lips was not enough to get to you then his eyes surely would. They were filled with kindness at the same time as there was something challenging, something mischievous and – Daniel almost couldn't think it – sexual.

"Yeah well, putting down countless of hours on the same task will do that to you." Daniel stopped what he was doing. For a moment, he hesitated, pondering if he was going to put the card on the table or if he was going to keep it in his hand, but opted for holding onto it. "So, what are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you."

Daniel hummed. Based on the expression on Jacks face – determination – he could guess where this was going and the idea of being confronted gave him the need for some distance. "Would you like to have something drink or eat?"

"No thank you, I'm fine." Jack answered and Daniel lowered himself into the couch.

Daniel leaned back, threw one arm on the side of the couch and gave Jack that typical tiny, knowing smile. The one that made it look as if he believed that he was better than everyone else. Daniel wanted it to look like that. Jack never told Henley and Merritt when they complained about it that you only needed to look a bit deeper to see how fake it was.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Daniel asked as he did his very best to ignore the feeling of his heart beating viciously against his ribs.

"You've been avoiding us." Jack said. Daniel scoffed and Jack knew that when he opened his mouth it was undoubtedly to tell him some lame excuse that only made sense in his own mind. And somehow, he would be able to talk his way out of the subject at hand. _He was good at that_. Jack stopped him. "No, correction, you have been avoiding me and I want to know why. We're about to do a major job together. You can hate me for all you want but we need to at least be able to be in the same room."

Daniel didn't move a muscle. "I don't hate you."

Jack blinked at him. Several times. "You don't?" Daniel shook his head. "Well in that case, why are you avoiding me?"

Daniel moved the card between his fingers. _Because you make me feel things I have never felt before. Because whenever I see you I get the desire to do anything I can to help you, to make sure that nothing and no one can hurt you and I would basically do anything to keep that smile on your face._ The words were right there on the tip of his tongue. He couldn't lie to Jack. He could lie to everyone else, consequences be damned, but not _Jack_.

Jacks frowned deepened. He had never seen Daniel hesitate the way he did in that moment. "You can talk to me Danny."

Daniel laughed. "Yeah," he spoke almost too quietly. "That's kind of the problem."

"Why would that be a problem?"

"Because I can't lie to you, okay?" Daniel snapped. "Every time you ask me a question I spontaneously want to tell you the truth and that has _never_ happened to me before. I'm an amazing liar. I lie so often that I nowadays do it all the time regardless of what it's about or who's asking the questions. I even lie about what I had for lunch when Henley asked. But for some reason I can't do that with you."

Jack leaned forward. The gap between them was still major but that didn't stop Daniel from backing. "Why?"

"Because you look at me like that." Daniel said as the distress he was feeling slowly seeped out into his body and had him tapping his foot against the floor. He moved his hands towards his hair as if he was thinking about pulling his hands through it but decided against it.

"I'll stop."

"I don't want you to stop."

Jack laughed. "Then what the hell do you want?"

"I want you."

It took exactly five seconds for Jack to react. Then it took another two seconds for him to move the table out of the way, cup Daniels face and then desperately press their lips together. J. Daniel Atlas whose mind always had something cooking in the background were for once completely still and silent. There were no ideas, no thoughts or worries that taunted him.

Kissing Jack was very much like standing at the edge of death. At first your heart raced and there was a certain desperation in every movement made. Then there was just warmth and comfort. Maybe it wasn't so ironic that he had gotten the lovers. It seemed after all that there was only a slight difference between love and death.


	2. King of His Heart

**Title:** King of His Heart

 **Word Count** : 2, 242

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"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is J. Daniel Atlas and I was planning on being a little _magic_ tonight. How does that sound?" They all cheered in appreciation and Daniel let out a laugh as he walked across the stage. He saw Jack standing barely hidden by the large curtain with a big smile on his face.

The constant reminder that no matter how grand and complicated Daniels magic tricks were there was always something in the room that was so much more magic than anything he could ever create or do. Merritt walked up from behind Jack with Henley who covered her body with a towel. Merritt's arm was casually hanging around her shoulder.

"Now ladies and gentlemen, before we begin…" – he picked up a deck of cards and began shuffling it in his hands without looking. – "I just want to remind you that the closer you look the less you see."

The audience screamed the last few words of the saying they had heard him say more than a few times. Daniel laughed.

"Exactly. So, let's talk about dating, shall we?" A couple of people cheered and some oohed. "Oh, indeed. Now it may not come as a surprise that dating has never been my strong suit." – paus for laughter – "But lately I've been dating quiet a lot. The same person even; I am as shocked as you are."

Daniel spun around on the stage. With his back against the audience he winked at Jack who rolled his eyes. An assistant walked out and gave Daniel a bag of seeds and a flower pot with dirt in it. Daniel faced the audience again. "For the first date, I think flowers are appropriate. You can either buy them or you can grow them yourself."

He put the seeds in the pot and watered it extensively. He could practically see the people in the audience leaning forward to see closer what was going to happen. They had completely forgotten about the screens that showed every angle of him. Everything to make it seem more real. The applause began when several big roses began blooming and stopped only when they reached a certain height.

"Personally, I've always been a fan of bubbles and chocolate. It's a strange combination I know. But I have a feeling that I could convince you that they go well together." Daniel created big bubbles that began floating towards the audience. When they burst packets of chocolate landed in their laps. That earned him another round of applause.

"Now, for my last trick, "– he shuffled his deck of cards that had been resting on a table standing in the middle of the stage. – "let's find the person that I've been dating, shall we? Not the real person though because that I'm not okay with that but something that reminds me of him; namely, the king of hearts."

Daniel thought to the time he had performed the trick for Jack. Though he had laughed and told Daniel that he was being ridiculous Daniel could still see that he loved it.

"Now, look closer on the deck of cards. I am going to show you every card that I have so that you can see that the king of hearts is somewhere in here. I will be doing it twice but keep your eyes open." He shuffled the deck of cards so that everyone could see them twice. "Now, let me just work my magic," He shook the cards, knocked on them and then held them in front of himself. "Now, look again very closely. And tell me if you saw the king of hearts."

The confused faces on the first row after Daniel had showed them his cards twice told him everything he needed to know. Confidently he laughed and shook his finger at them. "I am very disappointed in you. Remember what I told you in the beginning? The closer you look the less you see."

The cameras zoomed out and when they got far away enough the crowd cheered. Because there it was, right underneath his feet. _The king of hearts_. Daniel bowed for the audience. He wore a big smile on his face and allowed himself to relish in their admiration for him. This was the one place when being a control freak wasn't a bad thing. It was what allowed him to get every illusion right every time that he performed them. Because Daniel knew his tricks like the back of his hand. There was never any hesitation in his movement. The confidence beamed from him as if he was a spotlight.

"That was the last of me ladies and gentlemen, but I will leave you in the very capable hands of one Mr. Jack Wilder." Daniel gave them one last wave and then took off across the stage. Jack and Daniel bumped their fists together and then Daniel left the stage.

"Nice work out there, Atlas." Merritt said without a trace of irony or sarcasm in his voice. Which was as rare as hearing Daniel speak without the same tone of voice.

Daniel nodded and turned his attention to Jack. The younger man had a certain presence on the stage that no one else in the group had. Whatever he did people seemed to love it and want more of it. Daniel assumed it was his smile. _It's what got him the most_. He watched the first few tricks. The sweat was running down his back and the sleep deprivation was starting to hit him. "I'm going to get a shower."

Henley nodded but was otherwise to concentrated on Jack to listen. Daniel shrugged it off and went back to his dressing room. Most of the time he would stay behind after his own performance to watch Jack but sometimes – like today – he opted for taking a shower in peace and quiet. He took of his clothes, one item at a time. When he took his shirt of two angry scares glared back at him. Both started by the vein and then went longitudinal upwards along his arm.

Daniel touched the one on his left arm. It was a constant reminder of what could have happened when he felt as if he had no control. Because that was what had happened. It wasn't about feeling something but about grasping for control. When everything else seemed to be out of his reach ending his life was the only thing he could do. Or attempt to do. Needless to say, he didn't succeed.

He took off the rest of his clothes and got in the shower. He felt the water run down his body. Jack hadn't seen the scars nor the multiple tattoos on his back, stomach and wrists. Just next to the scar on his left wrist there was a semicolon that represented continuation. It wasn't over yet. On his back, he had an owl with his eyes wide-open. Because just like an owl Daniel sometimes felt as if he spun his head around to make sure that he had control of everything. Sounds and movement seemed clearer sometimes and just like an owl he was constantly ready to act. The most recent addition was the king of hearts located on his ribcage below his heart. He still hadn't showed it to Jack. But somehow, he was going to.

Jack had become a normal presence in his day to day life. Daniel was never shocked when he saw the young man sitting in his couch with a cup of coffee in his hands even on days when they hadn't made any plans. Sometimes Jack would be standing by the stove cooking something. Whatever he felt like eating at the moment. But so far that had never happened during work.

After his shower, Daniel got his pants on. When his shirt was nowhere to be seen, he walked out of the bathroom.

"Hey, there you…" Jack's smile fell as his eyes were drawn to the two angry scars. "What's that?"

"What's what?" Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. "That's a tattoo. And this is a tattoo also. I have tattoos."

Hiding most of the tattoo as well. He tried his best to appear nonchalant but knew very well that Jack could see through it. Daniel didn't even buy his own act; he assumed that Jack didn't either. Jack looked at him the way one would a hurt animal. As if any movement had the possibility to make Daniel panic. That was closer to the truth than Daniel wanted it to be. His heart was beating frantically inside of him and he both wanted to hold his hands in front of his ears until it all went away and run away at the same time.

"The scars." Jack spoke and carefully took a step closer to Daniel. "How did you get them?"

Daniel frowned. He shrugged. But he knew what was going to happen. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "I did it."

Jack frowned. "Danny," the older man forced himself to look up from the floor. "Can you sit with me?"

Daniel nodded. He ignored the shirt that was carelessly thrown on the chair just a few meters away and walked across the room until he was seated on the couch next to Jack. Their knees were touching and even though Daniels eyes were hooked on his scars he could still see Jacks graceful hands as he wiped them on his jeans and then stretched them towards Daniels hands.

"Why did you do that to yourself?"

Daniel shrugged. Many people had asked him that question. People who were more capable of handling his answer. Yet despite knowing how capable the people had had spoken to was Daniel had never told anyone. They probably had their own guesses. He couldn't control them or their thoughts.

"I…" Daniel coughed. "I felt like I was out of control. The world was spinning to fast, everything was all wrong and there was nothing I could do to change it. Everything was out of my reach. No matter how much I tried my mother never got better. She just couldn't take care of us and my dad never did anything to help. Things didn't get better regardless of my attempts to change things. The only thing I could control was my own life. So, I did. Or, at least I tried to."

Daniel never thought about what would happen if he ever told anyone about the scars and why he had them. As a teenager, he expected people to look at him with disgust. They wouldn't understand. As a young adult, he decided that it wasn't anyone's burden to bear but his own. He assumed that people didn't want to know about the hard times that he had gone through. They only wanted to be there for the good times. _They didn't care_. He did it for himself and when he met the Horsemen he kept it a secret to protect them.

"I love you, Danny."

Daniel frowned when he looked up at the young man in front of him. If it had been Henley, then there would have been tears. Merritt maybe would have coughed to hide the fact that he was shocked. This reaction was so typical Jack.

"Not the reaction I was expecting but I love you too." Daniel said with a smile.

"I'm not just telling you because of _this_. I really do love you." Jack said with a smile. "Even if you do tend to carry the world on your shoulders."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Hilarious! I've never heard that one before." He became silent and let out a sigh as he leaned his head forward and rested it against Jacks shoulder. "I would never try something like that now. I'm still afraid and I still _need_ to be in control but I want you to know that, I would never ever try that again."

Jack gently drew patterns on his back as he spoke. A feeling of comfort filled his body and for the first time in a very long time Daniels need for control was weakened at least a little bit. "Why?"

"Why wouldn't I try that again?" Daniel raised his head and smiled. So many unspoken words danced on the tip of his tongue but he said nothing out loud. _Because love beats death every time_. "Because I don't want to."

"That's a lie, Atlas. And don't you dare tell me that I can't tell because I can. I know you."

"Well if you know me, do you know what I want now?" Daniel gave him that typical smile. That barely there smile that worked its way straight into Jacks heart.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you know one of these days you're going to have to tell me."

Daniel nodded. He moved closer to Jack. So, close that he could feel Jacks breath against his skin. Normally closeness would push him into becoming a nervous wreck but there was something different about Jack. Daniel craved the feeling that came with being close to him. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before.

"Yeah," he replied. "But not today."

And then he felt Jack's lips on his own. A warm sensation filled his body. The kind that Daniel would never get tired of. It was better than anything he had ever experienced and it was just what he needed.


	3. The One When Danny Is Not Sick

**Title:** The One When Danny Is Not Sick

 **AN** : I feel horrible and this took me ages to write but just like Danny I do not have a fever and by my own definition I am not sick. Just like Danny isn't sick either.

 **Word Count** : 2, 187

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Daniel knew the moment he woke up that something was very wrong. Something had happened. Something that could under no circumstances happen. Not now. He barely had the time to live as it was what with everything going on with the Eye. He definitely didn't have time to get sick. A cough that made his entire body shake reminded him that Daniel had no say in the matter. He could control a lot. _Maybe even the weather_ , but he didn't know for sure. But he couldn't control the germs or when they chose to invade his body.

"Fuck me, fuck you, fuck everyone…" he sighed.

He rarely got sick but when he did it never developed into anything more than a vicious cough, a sore throat, an aching chest and his eyes became suddenly tender and sensitive to light. It was painful and tiresome – he could take both one, two and three naps when he was ill – but it never turned into a fever. He only got a vicious cold and because of that he couldn't convince himself to take the day off. So, Danny did what he would have done every other day. He put his clothes on while occasionally coughing to the point where it sounded as if his lungs were making a run for it and leaving his body. Then he brushed his teeth, pulled a comb through his hair, grabbed his deck of cards and headed for the door. And when he came out Henley and Merritt were the only ones awake. _Thank god_. Neither of them would nag at him about staying home and resting up. And even if they did Danny wouldn't feel bad about completely ignoring them.

"So, that lovely sound of mucus and bacteria came from you, Atlas." Merritt mused as he took another mouthful of coffee.

Henley frowned and looked at him from toe to head.

"I'm not sick." Daniel said as he took his normal cup – under the watchful eyes of Henley – and filled it with water and then added the teabag.

Daniel walked to the other side of the room. From the corner of his eye he could see Henley visible relaxing the further away he walked. When he stood by the door she looked almost completely relaxed. He if anyone understood her fear of germs. Not that he was afraid of germs but he was to a certain extent afraid of the uncontrollable, the things he couldn't do anything about.

"No one said that you were sick." Merritt answered.

"Yeah well…" his throat ached and he Danny coughed violently to the point where it sounded as if he had been smoking feverishly for the past two weeks. The coughs seemed to come from the very core of his body. "If Jack asks, I'm not sick. I'm fine. And I'm going to rehearse for a little bit. Got that?"

Merritt nodded and gave him a lazy smile. "You're not sick Atlas, we got it."

Daniel closed the door behind him and Merritt winked at Henley. "He looked like death."

"Well, he sure didn't look like love."

Merritt rolled his eyes but gave her a laugh. One laugh. "That's almost funny. Maybe you do have some comedic talent after all."

"So, how long should we give him until he passes out from exhaustion?" Merritt walked to the fridge and squinted at the different shelves as if that would make the food look better than it had been when he looked through it for something eatable only minutes earlier.

Henley laughed. "Oh no, Danny doesn't do passing out. He will push and push until his immune system is completely caput and he looks as if he is pretty much standing on the brink of death. He will go to the end of the world before even thinking about relaxing and trying to get better."

"That does not surprise me."

"Is Danny sick?"

Both Henley and Merritt flinched from the voice of Jack. Neither had realized that he had woken up, much less left his room. But there he was wearing a white t-shirt and faded jeans. Only the slight red mark on his face and the slightly dazed expression on his face showed that he hadn't been awake for very long.

"He just has a cold." Merritt answered. "There is no need to get all worried kiddo."

"Did he tell you that?" Merritt nodded and Jack rolled his eyes. "Have you met Danny? If he says that it's a normal cold, then it's probably something completely different. The man's a compulsive liar. He lies about everything to everybody."

" _Except you_." Merritt commented easily without missing a beat. "Which means that you need to tell our _grand_ leader that he needs to sit this one out. Because Henley won't be able to focus with him spreading germs around him like the fountain of bacteria that he is and I won't be able to focus if he's going to cough as if someone's attempting to break his lungs from the inside. But since the man won't listen to us. You'll have to tell him that we need him healthy and also he annoys us."

Jack rolled his eyes again. "I don't think he'll take to kindly to that."

"Which is why you're going to tell him. I mean technically he told us that we weren't allowed to tell you that he was sick before he left."

"He left?" Both Horsemen nodded and Jack cursed under his breath. "It's real fucking hard sometimes to believe that I'm the youngest one of us. Where did he go?"

Henley replied. "Rehearse."

"He's a stupid man." Jack muttered under his breath as he put his shoes on.

Merritt nodded. "I agree kiddo. How that man has survived this long is beyond me. Now, when you do go and yell at Atlas to stop being a stubborn germ-infected moron will you be so kind as to tell him that we – meaning neither Henley or I – said that he was sick?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Jack nodded. "I'll tell him."

Jack mastered many things when it came to magic and for most of his tricks he didn't even need any cards. Jack's best trick and his most valuable talents – at least according to him – was his ability to follow people and remain unseen. Daniel – who didn't enjoy it when Jack did it with him – was completely unable to spot the young man even when he was trying to. Jack didn't doubt that Danny would be even worse at it now but he quickly realized that he wouldn't be finding out.

Danny's lungs had begun protesting even before he made it down the few sets of stairs that separated him from the world outside. It was only a short walk to where they spent most days rehearsing their magic and the actual plan. There was _a lot_ of rehearsing going on. By the time that Danny made it there his entire chest ached and it felt as if he had been swallowing buckets of sand just for the fun of it. _He wasn't sick_. He just had a cold. Granted, it was one of those colds that would knock him off his ass but it was _just_ a cold never the less. Danny looked at his wristwatch. There would be at least an hour until the others came down and when that happened there were a lot of other things they needed to perfect instead of his tricks. So, he leaned against the wall and looked at his reflection in the mirrors on the opposite side of the room as he shuffled the cards between his hands. Danny couldn't see himself as clearly as he preferred to but the idea of having to walk all the way over there – even if it was just a few steps – to make sure that he could see every move he made wasn't reason enough to do it. He could feel that his movement was more sluggish than normal and it almost made him want to put the deck of cards down and tear his own hair instead.

"There you are."

"Hi Jack, you're up early." Danny responded with a smile as he tried to ignore the way the scratch in his aching throat annoyed him more and more every second that went by without him coughing. "Where's the others?"

Jack crossed the room. Unlike Danny he didn't like beating around the bush. He found that the best offense was not a good defense. A good offense was a good offense and that was it. If you were going to solve a problem, you didn't do it by ignoring the issue and talking around it. You solved the problem by confrontation and by going straight to the core.

"Merritt told me that you _aren't_ sick. Apparently, you told them that you weren't sick and that means that you are probably feeling very bad right now." Jack said when he stood in front of Danny. It took a few seconds for the other man to do the same and when he did he pushed his hands down his pockets. – Danny rolled his eyes. – "And that means that you shouldn't be here. You should be lying down, getting plenty of fluids and getting better. Also, I'm the youngest of the group. Not that knowledge or common sense has anything to do with age but I still find it ironic that _I'm_ telling _you_ this."

Danny smiled despite the sigh. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. You're a very caring person, Jack Wilder. You just sometimes forget and we aren't always good at reminding you."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere Atlas." Jack said with a laugh. "So, you'll come back home with me and give us the day off?"

"God no," Danny laughed. "I told you. I'm not sick. I just have this stubborn cold. It looks much worse than it is." Just as he spoke his throat showed its disapproval of the scratching that had been slowly driving him crazy and he turned around to cough against his arm. He could see the look of disapproval on Jack's face. And suddenly it felt as if someone was pulling on his heartstring and it wasn't because of the coughing.

When he stopped coughing, Danny turned around again and gave Jack a weak smile. "It also sounds much worse than it is."

Jack crossed the arms over his chest and shook his head. "Yeah, you're no good. Come on Danny, you're not in any shape to perform any kind of magic. You're not even in shape to be out of bed."

"I don't have time to be sick." Daniel said as he mimicked the stance Jack had taken. "We have so much left to do and we need to rehearse to make sure that nothing goes wrong."

Daniel was normally the one in power. He was the one who took control of the situation and sometimes did things that the others didn't like but most of the time had to put up with anyway. Because most of the time his plans worked. This was the first time that Danny found himself in a situation where he was not the one pulling the strings. _Or to be specific_ , _in several situations where he wasn't in control to be honest_.

"Danny, you're not going to fail. The show is going to be fine." Jack took a step towards him and grasped his hands. "Now, come home with me and lay down. We can afford taking _one day_ to rest and just relax."

Danny looked down on Jack's hands. He didn't pull away but he gently withdrew them until he could gently run the tip of his fingers up and down the palm and Jack's fingers. He frowned and hesitated before he spoke. And when he eventually did speak the words were almost too low to be heard.

"I'm not nervous about my tricks."

Jack smiled. "You don't have to be worried about me. I'm going to be just fine. _I trust you, Danny_."

Daniel smiled. He was just about to lean into Jack, their lips were just centimeters away from each other, when he suddenly pulled away and doubled over as he coughed violently again. His face was paler when he went back up again and in between every fourth or fifth breath he frowned and put his hand on his chest as if that would help stabilize his lungs.

Jack barely managed to contain his smile. "So, are you coming home with me now so that we can relax and you can focus on getting better instead of making this place inhabitable to Henley?" Danny nodded and took Jack's outstretched hand. "You're a really stupid man sometimes J. Daniel Atlas. What would you do without me?"

Danny laughed before he answered but that didn't make the severity of his words less clear. "You don't want to know the answer to that." Jack didn't answer and Danny glanced over at him as they walked out the door. "I love you."

Jack winked at him. "I love you too, stupid."


End file.
